Operators

Introduction

Python has the usual arithmetic, comparison, logical, bitwise, and assignment operators — plus identity (is) and membership (in) operators that beginners often confuse with equality.

Understanding the topic

Core concepts to understand:

• Arithmetic: + - * / // % **.
• Comparison: == != < > <= >=.
• Logical: and or not.
• Identity: is, is not.
• Membership: in, not in.

Syntax reference

Visual flow / code:

# Arithmetic
print(7 / 2)   # 3.5  (true division)
print(7 // 2)  # 3    (floor division)
print(7 % 2)   # 1    (modulo)
print(2 ** 10) # 1024 (power)

# Identity vs equality
a = [1, 2]
b = [1, 2]
print(a == b)  # True (same value)
print(a is b)  # False (different objects)

# Membership
print(2 in [1, 2, 3])  # True

Execution workflow

Real-world use

Using is to compare values instead of == is one of the most common beginner bugs — is compares identity, not equality.

Best practices

• Use == for value comparison.
• Use is None (never == None).

Common mistakes

• is with strings/ints may work due to interning — don't rely on it.

Hands-on exercise

Interview preparation — practice these questions:

• is vs ==?
• What does // do?
• Why is None?

Summary

In summary: == for values, is for identity. Always is None.